10 Anime Villains That Prove Heroes Aren’t All That Great

Pain from Naruto, Chrollo Lucifer from Hunter x Hunter and Shigaraki Tomura from My Hero AcademiaCustom Image by Vanessa Piña

By Vanessa Piña Published 26 minutes ago

Vanessa Piña has been an anime writer at ScreenRant since 2024. She is freelance writer who worked as a copywriter and proofreader before deciding to write for her favorite series as an anime journalist. At ScreenRant, she focuses on timely coverage of the latest anime releases and updates on popular franchises.

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Just because most anime follow the heroes' perspective doesn't mean they control the narrative or that they're the ones who make the plots interesting. Some anime heroes are nothing compared to their villains, who succeed in hindering the protagonist's path with their intricate schemes and manage to steal the show completely.

With fearsome presences, moral quandaries, and strategies brimming with genius, these anime villains managed to make their stories interesting, seize the spotlight from the heroes, and exhibit insane strength and malice that will captivate viewers and send shivers down their spines in equal measure.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (Bungo Stray Dogs)

bungo stray dogs fyodor dostoevsky decay of angels

Fyodor looking at the camera with dramatic top lighting

Fyodor Dostoevsky is responsible for almost every major event in Bungo Stray Dogs' story. However, despite his predominant participation in the shadows, everything about Dostoevsky is shrouded in mystery, from the organization Rats in the House of the Dead to his motives and the true nature and functioning of his power in "Crime and Punishment."

While it's known that Dostoyevsky wants to create a world where humans don't have abilities, his reason is unclear. He is also a strategist at the same level as Osamu Dazai, who considers him a demon and the epitome of evil, as he doesn't care about the means of achieving his plans nor the deaths in the process.

Even so, what makes Fyodor's character so astonishing is how he controls the story, becoming an unshakable presence who is always one step ahead and can conceal crucial personal details, such as his own ability. Fyodor is a master manipulator with a savior complex that not even a character with Dazai's intelligence has been able to surpass.

Shigaraki Tomura (My Hero Academia)

Some of My Hero Academia's villains are more persuasive than the heroes, and the one whose influence keeps growing at an alarming pace, exposing a flawed and corrupt system, is Shigaraki Tomura. While Shigaraki may have had no choice but to live as a villain, he embodied everything that was wrong with heroes, becoming a beacon of hope for those abandoned by society.

Shigaraki continued to gain followers, and despite being manipulated by the man he believed to be his mentor, he never wavered in his convictions, believing that if the world is evil, they should destroy it all. As a result, with the League of Villains, Shigaraki inadvertently created a place for the desperate and oppressed, a place where they could be themselves.

Shigaraki also went from being a force to be reckoned with to a one-man army capable of destroying a city with a single touch, one that no hero could defeat alone. However, despite his heinous crimes, Shigaraki and the League of Villains left a far deeper mark than most heroes, making it impossible for viewers to not feel compassion for them.

Chrollo Lucilfer (Hunter x Hunter)

Chrollo Lucilfer, the leader of the Phantom Troupe, is one of Kurapika's sworn enemies. However, despite his cunning personality and criminal tendencies, he has proven to be a more complex villain than he initially appears. Chrollo respects and values the lives of the Phantom Troupe members as part of his family, since they all come from the same birthplace, Meteor City.

Chrollo uses his thief-like Nen ability to the utmost, having seized numerous skills that make him incredibly versatile in combat and grant him truly terrifying potential, as demonstrated in his battle against Hisoka. However, Chrollo's greatest strength is his exceptional intelligence, allowing him to calmly and strategically assess adverse situations.

Although many mysteries surround Chrollo's motivations, the Hunter x Hunter manga offered a glimpse into his tragic past, demonstrating his humanity. Furthermore, even during the Yorknew Arc, fans couldn't help but sympathize with the Phantom Troupe, even after learning they were responsible for the annihilation of the Kurta clan.

Shinobu Sensui (YuYu Hakusho)

Still shot of Shinobu Sensui.

Arguably the best villain in YuYu Hakusho, Shinobu Sensui was a character with a strong sense of justice who fell into darkness after seeing the cruelty that humans were capable of. While working as a spirit detective, a trauma shattered Sensui's mind and caused him to develop multiple personalities, ultimately deciding to destroy humanity.

Sensui posed a significant threat, having mastered martial arts and developed the Resshuken style, being only defeated after Raizen possessed Yusuke. What makes Sensui memorable is that, although he acted according to his own values and ideals, his words and actions stemmed from guilt, making it impossible to categorize him as purely evil. This complexity makes Sensui YuYu Hakusho's most interesting character.

Dio Brando (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Dio Brando JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Becoming obsessed with a family is a feat only Dio Brando could pull off flawlessly. Selfish, ambitious, and with a superiority complex, Dio had a difficult childhood, but it's because of his evil and sadistic personality that he finds supreme joy in dominating others, making his purpose to torment the members of the Joestar family to death and beyond.

Dio also boasts overwhelming strength, a brilliant mind, and immense determination, making him the main antagonist in several parts of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Even when he doesn't appear directly, he always influences the story. Yet it is Dio's incredible charisma that has made him one of the greatest villains in anime history, achieving more popularity than the Joestars.

Pain (Naruto: Shippuden)

Pain from Naruto

Pain, who served as the leader of Akatsuki, is not only one of the strongest villains in all of Naruto but also one who expanded viewers' perspective on the story, revealing the moral flaws of Konoha and ninja society in general, even convincing Naruto that his way of thinking was wrong.

While he didn't care about the sacrifices required to achieve his justice, and his approach to bringing peace to the world using force and fear was fundamentally wrong, Pain's ideology raises many valid arguments, remaining profoundly fascinating among fans who years later continue to debate whether he was closer to the truth than Naruto himself.

Even in terms of raw power, Naruto would not have stood a chance against Pain, but it was his preparation, the information he gathered beforehand, along with his sincere exchange, that gave him an advantage and brought a change of perspective to the villain. Even so, Pain's philosophical depth and complexity made him shine brighter than most characters in Naruto.

Frieza (Dragon Ball)

Golden Frieza looking angry in Dragon Ball Super

One of the most prominent intergalactic dictators in anime, Frieza is Dragon Ball's ultimate villain and the greatest threat to Universe 7. Ruthless, twisted, and persistent, the emperor of universe 7 didn't hesitate to kill innocents out of contempt or destroy entire planets, being the perpetrator of the Saiyan genocide.

But no matter how many times he's defeated, Frieza always returns, and he does so in a rather elegant way, sporting a new transformation and stronger than ever. Moreover, if that weren't enough, Frieza is even more effective at training than Goku and Vegeta, beating them in attaining greater strength. Even so, few characters are as iconic and unforgettable as Frieza.

Shishio Makoto (Rurouni Kenshin)

Shishio Makoto is the final boss of the Kyoto arc of Rurouni Kenshin, who has become one of the greatest shōnen villains of all time. A former assassin who murdered important figures of the shogunate, Shishio was betrayed and suffered severe burns all over his body. However, Shishio's motivation wasn't to seek revenge, but rather, he harbored a great ambition.

Despite his brutal methods, as he didn't hesitate to use anyone as a disposable pawn, Shishio exuded overwhelming charisma and control over his subordinates, a brilliant and strategic mind, and an unyielding determination to seize power and pursue his own justice for the sake of strengthening Japan, embodying his philosophy of "survival of the fittest" with both his words and skills.

Despite his physical limitations, he was powerful enough to push Kenshin Himura to his limits. Shishio came within a hair's breadth of killing Kenshin, and even facing the very depths of hell, his convictions and beliefs never wavered. Shishio's character simply evokes sympathy, being even more captivating than Kenshin himself and leaving viewers wanting to see more of him.

Meruem (Hunter x Hunter)

meruem from hunter x hunter

Meruem, the cruel and cold-hearted Chimera Ant King whose mission was to unify the world under his rule, is the pinnacle of character development and power in Hunter x Hunter's story. Despite being only a little over a month old, it was stated that Meruem's power already surpassed that of a nation's military force.

Furthermore, despite his overwhelming strength, there was no foreseeable limit for him since the Chimera Ants could gain more power by eating. However, Meruem was held back from becoming more powerful due to Komugi consuming all of his attention. Even so, Netero wasn't a match for Meruem despite being one of the strongest Nen users in Hunter x Hunter.

It's likely that no hunter could have been able to defeat Meruem, so the only way to stop him was with the suicidal activation of the Poor Man's Rose. Nevertheless, Meruem chose to die as a human thanks to Komugi's influence, but if he had unleashed his full potential, he could have even conquered humanity as he intended.

Johan Liebheart (Monster)

Johan Liebert in the psychological anime Monster

Johan Liebert from Monster is a truly chilling and sinister villain who lives to unleash chaos. Johan's most fearsome trait is his apparent charm, but his corruption is unbearable, as he lacks empathy for others, takes advantage of the vulnerable, and cruelly manipulates his victims, even driving some to take their own lives.

What motivates him? What are his goals? The mystery surrounding Johan's unfathomably malicious character is the foundation of Monster's story and isn't revealed until the very end. So, if Monster hadn't had a villain with such inexplicably high charisma, capable of turning people into killers and terrorizing Dr. Tenma from the shadows, the anime wouldn't have achieved the acclaim it enjoys today.

33 8.4/10

Monster

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Animation Crime Drama Psychological Release Date April 7, 2004 Directors Masayuki Kojima, Morio Asaka Writers Tatsuhiko Urahata, Naoki Urasawa

Cast

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Liam O'Brien
Keith Silverstein

Genres Animation, Crime, Drama, Psychological Creator(s) Naoki Urasawa Powered by

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Anime
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Naruto

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